Shoes in Entertainment: Some of my favorites

As Danielle pointed out last week in her post Top 16 Uses for Shoes , there are more uses for shoes than we realize. I thought I'd take you down memory lane to some of the shoes that helped keep us entertained. Some are classics (and way before my time) but a few recent hits stick out -

Shoes in Music

Elvis' Blue Suede Shoes must be the most famous shoe song along with Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Were Made for Walking. Those songs are so visual that they make you want to put those shoes on - not that I have anything that matches blue suede shoes!

“These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.”

Paul Simon knew what girls like when he sang Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes.

“She’s a rich girl

She don’t try to hide it

                                                        Diamonds on the soles of her shoes”

This is a great alternative for us more frugal girls!






Shoes in the Movies

Of course Blue Suede Shoes was released in 1985 and I was pleasantly surprised to find this amazing pair of pumps in my search for what blue suede shoes actually looked like.

The Devil Wears Prada is one of my all time  favorite movies! I have seen the movie about 4 times and I have read the book too, of course. Other movies about shoes include In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz (yes, I read the book too) and The Red Shoes.

One of my favorite movie scenes with shoes, is the one where Miley Cyrus and Tyra Banks fight over a pair of shoein Miley Cyrus The Movie. 

Shoe Quotes

If you think the girls at If The Shoe Doesn't Fit are just obsessed with shoes, then think again!

We are actually VERY obsessed with shoes and talk about it all the time. Then again, many famous celebs are too and if you are reading this blog and you are probably just as obsessed. It means that you are in great company!

Here is some shoe wisdom from famous people:

I like Cinderella, I really do. She has a good work ethic. I appreciate a good, hard-working gal. And she likes shoes. The fairy tale is all about the shoe at the end, and I'm a big shoe girl. - Amy Adams 

If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?  - Gloria Steinem 

If the shoe fits, it is probably worn out.   - Craig Bruce   (Lizette: And that means it's time to buy a new pair!)

Stiletto, I look at it more as an attitude as opposed to a high-heeled shoe.  - Lita Ford 

It’s really hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes – that’s why you sometimes need really special shoes. - Carrie Bradshaw

Shoes in Real Life

Of course, we get to enjoy shoes every day in real life. We talk about them, we wear them, we use them as art or soup ladles or door stoppers and when really pushed, we use them as torturing devices on errant husbands or boyfriends.


So thank your lucky shoes for the full and exciting life you enjoy!


  

Fashion V. Style

Time and time again I become frustrated with the Fashion world. Time and time again my closet seems to have nothing in it that I can wear and the season’s pieces are just out of my reach. So, I decided that Fashion wasn’t for me. Before you gasp and scold me forgiving up so easily hear me out.
Fashion is defined as a currently style or practice. Which means to be in fashion, is hard for a student and also means to be in debt. While I love everything about fashion, and I really do. I just can’t bring myself to reinvent my closet every time a magazine or celebrity comes up with a new hot trend.
Fashion to me is runway. Fashion to me is what is hot. Anyone can be fashionable. All it takes is a credit card, and the will to buy whatever a magazine tells you. If we look through the history of fashion has slowly changed. I mean thank goodness we no longer wear corsets. Can you say restrictive? But, no being Fashionable is not what I want.

What I want is something more refined and unique. I want to have style. I want to live my life in style. I want to define on my own terms about is and what isn’t “in style” for me.

I say personal style is obviously influenced by Fashion. It’s impossible to go to any retail store and avoid trends. What makes style unique is your ability to wear the pieces in your way. To pick out different pieces and dress yourself according to your own rules. Anyone can go to a Lookbook, pick out a look and wear them… It takes an ability to dress yourself for your own wants and needs. While Fashion is predicted, decided and ultimately out of your control.

B&W High Heel Ring & Jewelry Holder Giveaway

I love shoes & jewelry...don't you?!

What better way to combine the two than to have a high heel shaped ring and jewelry holder? Sooo cute!  I saw this and thought it was adorable, but I could never get it since the feathers make me sneeze (sad but true) so I figured our readers would like it as much as I do and I'd get it to give to one of them instead! 

It's almost 12 inches high and a little less than 8 inches from toe to heel - perfect for a nightstand!  If you'd like to win it, enter using Rafflecopter; just follow the instructions below; closes 9/12/11.

Positively Pink

Since the summer is sadly on its way out I thought I would do a post dedicated to some gorgeous pink heels! I've loved pink as long as I can remember. Maybe it's because from birth most little girls wear pink constantly, from their dress to their hair bows. My mom certainly dresses me up in pink! Or maybe it's because of the hot pink heels on my Barbie doll that lead me to increasingly fall in love with this bright and bold color. But for whatever reason, I've always loved pink. I still wear it now and whenever I see it, it brings a smile to my face.

Pink is a color that I hope will never go out of style. It brightens my mood instantly and I love painting my toe nails pink as well! It also can be glitzy, sparkly, or many different shades of pink. Light pink is fun and so is bright bright pink! I don't own as many bright pink items in my closet as I used to in college, but I still embrace it and adore it. I think pink heels are deliciously gorgeous. Plus their personality is radiant, don't you think? I would easily pair a pair of these pumps below with a pair of jeans and a simple top. The flats you might be wondering? Well, flats go with positively everything!

Ratio - Pink Glitter

Torrey - Medium Pink

High & Dry Flat - Pink

Mombassa Punk Plat - Pink

Tiffany - Dark Pink Suede

Brennaa - Pink

So as you can see there are so many delicious and fabulously pink shoes to select from! I think my favorite pair is the Tiffany pink suede shoes, however, the Brennaa pink flats are also calling my name. The Mombassa Punk pumps are certainly edgy and spicy - they would be a fun heel to wear on a night out on the town!

What's great about any color, especially pink, is that this color can show of your personality. So depending on your mood and style, you can wear something sweet, sassy, punky, or anywhere in between. So do you feel like being a princess tonight? Slip on the Torrey pumps or the High & Dry flats. If you want to be a diva, then I would say go for the Ratio pumps. They are the first pair of heels with all of the sparkles.

Whatever you decide, let fashion and shoes be your guide! I know they are mine!

Top 16 Uses for Shoes

Shoes are very versatile and have many uses. However, the fashion world would only like us mere mortals to believe that there is one use for shoes which is to wear them on our feet. However, I after nights of searching, asking the tough and hard hitting questions have uncovered the REAL uses for shoes. I am going to expose the top 16 uses for your generous collection of shoes. While their most common use is to be worn for function or fashion shoes have a number of uses that have been long covered up and kept from the public. I, Danielle Vanessa the Intern plan to expose the top 16 ‘other’ uses of shoes!

1. Anchoring a small boat to a dock
2. Hammering in nails
3. Door Stopper – Don’t have real door stopper on hand. Throw a shoe in there and continue on with your day.
4. Nifty candy bowl holder – Pretty, functional and now sweet. Just wipe the shoe out first… no one like’s foot smell.
5. Flower Planter – Shoes and flowers? What more could a girl want?!
6. Book end – Unstable? Put to shoes at the end of it.
7. Paper weight – Windy? Put a shoe on it.
8. Weight – Too lazy to go to the gym? Just grab those 80’s throw backs out of your closet and get to lifting.
9. Soup Ladle – Don’t want to wash the dishes? No Problem!
10. Bug Swatter/Killer – Scary Spider in the corner? No issues here just grab a shoe!
11. Handy Dandy back scratcher
12. Impromptu Mic (you can use it to sing like a rock star in the shower, or in the privacy of your own room.)
13. Incognito Money Hider (Ever been robbed? Want to prevent your rainy day money from being stolen?) Most robbers look between the mattress, toilet bowl, and freezer and in drawers. Your shoe will be a random and therefore safe place for your rainy day money.
14. Art – Place your shoes in thick edged frames and “frame” them. Take them down when you want to wear them. No one will be able to call you out on your shoe habits because it’s art!
15. SOS Flag – If you’re going through a natural disaster and need to let everyone know you’re in trouble and need help - just tie a white or cream colored shoe to the end of a stick and wave it around. Remember: Shoe’s save lives.
16. Toy Dog Bed - Have a toy poodle? Don't know where to put the little guy for his nap? Try a sneaker! They're warm, cozy and allow you to carry your little guy where ever you go.

Have you ever had to used a shoe for a more “creative” use than it was intended for?

My husband will NEVER EVER complain when I drag him shopping with me...

Yes, it's official. I am easier to shop for than all the men in my life.

Wade has a little story he loves to tell whenever the conversation turns to shopping and it goes like this:

Ten years ago, I needed a PERFECT pair of shoes to go with my perfect little red dress which I only wore once to a Christmas party that he still remembers today. Oh yes, I looked hawt! if I say so myself. Everyone else said so anyway...My hair was in an up-do with this magnificent little cocktail dress - dark red, body hugging and showing a classy amount of my then  very little, very taut  flesh under the gorgeous shawl I draped over my tanned shoulders.

Oh, but that wasn't the story. The week before, we went shoe hunting. I wanted a pair of shoes that matched the dress, but seeing as that was my only red item of clothing, I needed to find something that I could wear again. The trip to the two malls took three hours and it was fruitless. I ended up wearing an old pair of shoes that actually looked nice with the dress. When Wade relays the story, he likes to say that it took all day. I guess it's a miracle that he still likes to go shopping with me.


His dad had been visiting us this week and decided that he wanted to go shoe shopping. We decided to go along as Wade and the kids needed some shoes too. They went on to the shoe shop that I don't really like while I went to inquire about a new cell phone. I had to wait in line and then the consultant took his own sweet time to serve me. When I finally reached the shoe shop,  my family had disappeared. I walked all the way to the other side of the mall, going into every shop that sells shoes (it must be about 80% of shops - the other 20% were food / electronic / home ware stores), but they were nowhere to be found.

At the far end, I turned back and repeated the process, in reverse. The only hope that they never left me at the mall expecting me to walk home, was that the car was still parked in the lot,but bow y now I was ready to start walking home by myself. I remembered leaving the kids bedroom window open, so I'd be able to get into the house. It was a far walk, but I was livid!

Just as I jutted out my chin, pushed my shoulders back and decided "this is it!", I reached the initial shoe shop next to the phone shop and there they were. It would seem they were all hidden behind shoe shelves when I first looked. At least they were all ready to go now. They have been waiting for me (really?) to give them my valued opinion (opinion or guidance?).

And then all chaos broke loose!

Everyone wanted me to look (just quickly!) at what they chose. Hubby had two pairs of trainers and had the two boxes ready to pay when he decided to take a size smaller.

Father-in-law couldn't find anything he liked and wanted to try on everything - granted, he has a problem with his foot. My daughter had 20 pairs of thong sandals and would not consider anything else:  sneakers are for boys, ballet flats are too closed and she doesn't like closed shoes. To make matters worse, she's a UK size 5. I am a UK size 8 and I am 20 years older than her. I knew she's almost my height, but I remember holding her when she was three months old - her whole little foot was the size of my big toe. (Oh damn! Pass the Kleenex - any other moms out there cry at the smallest things relating to their kids?)



The only one who was happy with his choice of Ben10 sneakers, was my boy and I was so proud of him until he said:  "They're just a little too small, but it's okay." No, no, no, no, noooooooo!!! Turns out my kids are at that stage where they no longer make Ben10 and Hannah Montana shoes in their size and in the race between Ben10 and properly sized shoes, there really is no contest. As a woman, I guess I should have empathy.

An hour later we left the store, everyone happy with their purchases and exhausted to the bone. Who knew that shoe shopping with men can be so exhausting? When it was my turn, I walked into the shop, grabbed some girly stuff in my size and walked out - 5 minutes tops.

Upon our return to the hotel where FIL and the kids stayed for the week, we went to play bingo, where my girl won a sauna voucher. After the sauna, we went for an amazing seafood dinner to top of a good day of living the lives of the rich and famous cougars.

Shopping, bingo, sauna and seafood - a day well spent!

Black Never Left!

Black is back…OK...let’s be honest, black apparel, whether it’s shoes or dresses or suits, never goes out of style. Black has always been in and really, it always will be.

Think about it, almost everyone you know has one black outfit in their wardrobe – a little black dress that can be simplified for daytime or accessorized for evening, and when it comes to footwear men have to have a pair of black shoes and women need a pair of black high heels...well, at least one anyway!

Really, it’s a must for each woman to have black high heels shoes in her shoe collection! Whether they are black patent leather, suede, satin, pumps, peep toes or rocker styled, whatever kind of shoe you like you'll be hard pressed to find a woman who doesn’t own a pair of some kind of black heels. In fact, many women have several pairs of black heels, often varying heel heights and styles.

Black heels are versatile. They can be worn year round and match almost anything. Some colors, like red or white can be harder to wear depending on the season or the outfit you have to coordinate with, but black can be worn with virtually anything and everything!

While diamonds have been called a girl’s best friend, a great pair of black heels can make your legs look longer, slim and well toned. When you wear them, you stand taller, and walk more confidently – can a diamond do that? Personally, I love my black heels, so much that I have 7 pairs of them...hmmm I just realized that's one for each day of the week. Now I have to find someplace to go...

Hey - how many pairs of black heels do you have?

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The Health Benefits of Wearing Five Finger Shoes

Ever since my brother invested in his Five Finger Shoes I've found myself entranced with looking at his feet, wondering how they feel and wondering if I should get myself a pair. He wears them to the gym all of the time and tells me that he finds them so comfortable! I've never been a fan of the socks that have the separate "fingers" that separate my toes because it feels so odd, but maybe the Five Finger Shoes have a special way of making my feet feel at home.

If The Shoe Doesn't Fit actually has quite a few available that are up for auction and I am loving all of the different colors! Go ahead and click on the picture - it will send you straight to the live auction!

Now that you've seen a glimpse of all of the Vibram Five Fingers available, let's talk about health benefits of wearing these shoes. According to the site their are five reasons to invest in these shoes:

1. It strengthens your muscles in your feet and lower legs. By strengthening your muscles in your feet and legs, it improves your foot health and prevents injury!
2. Wearing these shoes also improves your range of motion in your ankles, feet, and toes. You don't have to worry about your feet being restricted because you are free to move around your toes.
3. They also stimulate neural function that is important for your balance and agility. A good fact to know is that your neurological receptors send your feet messages from the brain. In turn this improves your agility and balance.
4. Because your heel is not lifted, your body weight becomes evenly distributed. This results in proper foot alignment and a happy spine because your spine now has better alignment due to these finger shoes.
5. Overall you can move your feet, which allows your body to feel more natural, which is fantastic!

The health benefits for the Five Finger Shoes are pretty remarkable, and did you know that you can even run in these shoes? However, they have recommended shoes that are made specifically for running, so be sure to check them out on their website.

At this point in time I'm pretty much sold on these shoes. I love their style and the vibrant colors such as green and hot pink are awesome! If my brother thinks they are comfortable I think they would be too. Plus - you don't have to wear socks. I think that would be nice for a change. Excuse me while I head to a store to try on these shoes. After that I might just have to buy a pair on ITSDF's website!

For The Curious

The intern is actually away. Far enough away that my cellphone service is "pending" whenever I send tweets or facebook updates but close enough to get all my texts nine hours later (thi is truly the age of wonderous and reliable technology!) how am I sending this blog post you ma ask? Well... The internet connection here is what we'd call dial up. Because I'm away (I have pictures to show you guys when I get back!)I don't have a big story to tell on this wonderful Monday morning but I d have information to share.Information that is charming, surprising and even bit cool. The Bata Shoe Museum has a wonderful new exhibit: Footwear Through The Ages. My best friend had the wonderful oppertunity to go and explore the Bata and now I think I'm going to be planning a trip to the Bata myself.

For any of you looking to save on airfare, hotel and any othr costs you can check out thier totally awesome online collections. But seriousy.... From the tiny cellphone picture I got via SMM I have to say I was totally turning green! So please for all the shoe lovers out there take a moment and check out this totally cool an rather awesome exhibit preview :)

Saving is the new Shopping... for now.

I don’t know how many of you have experienced this but I had this happen to me on Saturday. I went out in search of this particular type of webcam type/ recording device and came up with nothing. I did however find a new purse that was 90% off. I did however see a bunch of clothes in the mall that I would have died for, a few pairs of shoes that I wanted to romp around town in and a dress that I envision myself dancing in. And while all these things were glitzy, glam and glorious…. I marched right out of that store and told myself I didn’t “need” those things and went on my merry way.

This was very hard for me and is probably going to be hard for the rest of my life. I love buying new things and I admit that fresh smell when you bring something home from the store is addicting. Or even the way a new %100 cotton top feels against your skin – if you haven’t experienced it… well you donno what love is. But the one thing I’m trying to teach myself as a born money spender is that all things come to those who wait earn it. That I don’t need something on the basis of thinking I need it. While I would have loved to spend a whole whack load of money my goal is to save fashionably. What is that? To continually look good every time I deposit money in my savings account. I’d like to have a good chunk of change by the time I graduate and my shopping habits are the first thing that need to be nipped in the bud.

Have any of you had to resist buying something because you have a goal?

Shoes, shoes everywhere

Many women dream of having a little girl with whom they can play live dress-up and put little bows in her hair... My dream exploded when my little girl became big enough to develop her own sense of style, particularly since it involves my make-up, my clothes and my shoes.

Of course she prefers the higher heels

Yesterday, my husband decided that we should clean out the garage. This would be the first time in almost 12 years that my husband has uttered the C word, so obviously I jumped at the opportunity. (Today I could kick his behind with my spiky heels, if it weren't for my painful muscles)

So we started in my closet - the folded items were neat, but I really needed to sort out the hanging side (which I don't use so much). At first I was a bit perturbed as there were hardly any of my favorite dresses and blouses hanging up. Some of my shoes were missing too.

Then I remembered - Little Miss Muffet just loooooves to use my blouses as dresses, although she's nearly my height. She'd tie them around her waist with scarves, put on Dad's fedora and mom's sexiest shoes and turn up the Hannah Montana full blast to perform rock concerts for the family.

Am  the only one who loves wooden heels?

I finally found a mountain of clothes, which I never knew I owned buried under a mountain of shoes, which I never knew I owned. 

On to the garage to make space for Father-in-Law's car, as he's coming to visit next week. The place is completely full of winter clothes that we have not worn in 2 years  and that we are keeping "in case we move to a colder climate" (Hubby has clearly not heard me say that the only place we're moving to is the Isle of Crete, where we won't need Eskimo gear) and clothes, shoes and toys that I wanted to give away to the poor, but we are "keeping in the garage for now" as well as books that we will read "when we get time", etc. 

However, my darling, trusting husband once let his little girl loose in the garage and the neatly stacked boxes were now discarded and all the contents strewn all over the floors. It was a disaster zone of note. 

On a positive note, we managed to find so much stuff that we thought were missing! Hubby found his old running shoes, slippers and some dress shoes. My boy found some trainers he got from his gran (that were a bit too big at the time) and we found a pile of shoes for my daughter who always walks around barefoot because she "doesn't have shoes".

I realized that it's just a ploy to get her more shoes. Perhaps she's her mommy's girl after all - wanting shoes doesn't mean you have to wear them, does it?

Just like diamonds, shoes are a girl's best friends - they look pretty and if you are lucky to find a gorgeous pair that you can wear too, you are in shoes heaven!

ITSDF Amazon Giveaway!

One lucky winner will get a $5 gift card from
If The Shoe Doesn't Fit. 

There are 5 ways to enter and get extra entries using the Punchtab link below will track your entries: 

1. Like our giveaway on Facebook. (+1 entry)

2. Become a Facebook Fan of our website. (+1 entry)

3. Leave a comment about our giveaway. (+1 entry)

4. Tweet about our giveaway. (+1 entry)

5. Distribute a unique invite link to our giveaway. (+1 entry for each friend that visits our giveaway and +5 entries for each friend that joins the giveaway)

Giveaway ends Sunday night 8/7/11 

Big Brother: The Barefoot House

I’m a Big Brother fan. I haven’t always been a fan and I’m going to be honest for the first few seasons I wouldn’t watch it. I don’t know why and I’m not sure what inner issues I’ve had with it but CLEARLY my issues were resolved because now I can’t help but get in a fit when my favorite player is jerked around or voted off. The one thing that I’ve noticed for the long time on Big Brother is that they rarely wear shoes and when they do it’s a pair of UGG’s or flip flops. On special nights such as voting night they girls dress to the nines and usually wear a pair of heels or nice flats. I’ve always wondered why this is – I think the contrast from always seeing house guests in bare feet, flip flops or UGGS really messes with my mind when I suddenly see them dressed up. It’s like when your frumpy friend gets a well needed makeover. The other thing about this barefoot custom is that the men wear flip flops. I’m not sure about you ladies but a man in flops has always been something I can’t get down with. Especially when they wear a pair of flip flops with a hoodie and shorts. Why do it? Are you cold or are you hot? I just don’t get it. Seriously.

Feet have also played a very major role in Big Brother History:
- Rachel and Bredon’s showmance turn romance is notably famous for the moment Brendon pulls the cover over them so they can have their first makeout session without the world watching. The only part not covered? Brenden’s feet.

- Many of the competitors suffer from foot in mouth disease. This is a very dangerous disease and leaves competitors open to treachery, treason and high crimes of hypocritical acts.

Have any of you noticed the barefootness around Big Brother? Have any of you noticed how barefeet take a giant role in their social world?